Beluga Whale

Kevin Schafer

One of the smallest whale species, the extremely social beluga lives in pods that usually have about a dozen members but can grow to hundreds of individuals. These white whales are born gray or even brown and slowly fade to white during sexual maturity. Dubbed a “sea canary,” the beluga has the loudest song of any toothed whale, complete with clicks, whistles and clangs that travel for miles and make boat hulls vibrate.

Climate Change Impacts

Unfortunately, belugas sit at the top of an ailing food chain. The whales depend on Arctic cod, a fish unrivaled in abundance and nutrition for belugas. In turn, the cod relies on small crustaceans, called copepods, which feed off the algae that grow on sea ice. Warmer temperatures mean less sea ice, causing a ripple effect that travels up the food chain from the algae to the beluga.

Our oceans are in crisis. Overfishing, pollution, and habitat fragmentation are wearing down the health of ocean ecosystems. In a teleconference, attorneys Steve Mashuda and David Henkin discuss how Earthjustice is fighting to protect and build the resilience of our ocean ecosystems.

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Related Features

Our oceans are in crisis. Overfishing, pollution, and habitat fragmentation are wearing down the health of ocean ecosystems. In a teleconference, attorneys Steve Mashuda and David Henkin discuss how Earthjustice is fighting to protect and build the resilience of our ocean ecosystems.

For more than a decade, Managing Attorney Steve Roady has been litigating cases that help protect our oceans from pollution, overfishing and habitat loss. Earthjustice is also ramping up efforts to mitigate climate change impacts to the ocean, such as sea level rise and ocean acidification.

We are connected to each other, to our environment. From faraway places to our own backyard. But climate change is now changing the Earth as we know it, and animals and plants from the Arctic to the Everglades are feeling the consequences.